SHOPATVELVET X MKOESNADI

I have worked with shopatvelvet for a couple years, styling their campaigns & catalogs while also getting to know them as a brand & what their visions are. Designing my very first collection from scratch has been a fun, unforgettable, yet a difficult task for me.

My style changes from year to year and I wanted to reflect these feelings in the clothes I produced. The older I get, the less trendy I wanted my closet to be. So two keywords I kept in my mind was : timeless & effortless. Some of the pieces I designed were inspired from clothing articles that I can always count on when I have exactly 5 minutes to walk out of the door... And the rest of the collection? Simply things you can mix & match, create day-to-night looks with... All in a mix of neutral color palette & a dash of abstract floral prints for a wee bit (or a big bit depending on how you wear it!) of feminine vibe.

Here I am posting the full lookbook of the collection with myself as the model. You might have already seen some of the photos on Instagram, but a full view is always better right? Plus, perhaps you can pick an extra or two styling ideas from MY own version instead of the catalog version online.. Well, they are both styled by myself I hope you all will love my collection as much as I do.

shop my collection on www.shopatvelvet.com or at The Goods Dept, Happy Go Lucky Bandung, or Widely Project Bandung.
and do not forget to tag me to your ootd/purchases with #shopatvelvetXmkoesnadi. I would be happy to check out what you got !

FERANY LAN

it's good to get away from styling casual, everyday pieces (both for clients and myself!) every once in awhile. I had a great time with Ferany, the designer of these dresses, discussing the concept and all for her first campaign for her debut at Jakarta Fashion Week. I noticed that she used airy, flowy fabrics for her collection therefore I translated that same light feeling into this lookbook : simple, no fuzz/drama, just understated elegance.

CLUB DAHLIA : BACKSTAGE

as requested.. the glamorous behind the scenes at Sebastian Gunawan's Club Dahlia continues ! I'm currently putting together during my afternoon break at this office. Still lots to do before the long weekend in Indonesia. Most of these shot were shot earlier during the day when the models were still in their 'off duty look'. enjoy the photos and don't forget to vote for me at the AXIS Blog Awards HERE (takes you less than a minute.. no sign ups, just pure voting) every vote means alot to me :)

ANASTASIA

I'm in the middle of a pile of photos that are waiting to be editted. These shots happen to be one of them. They are some photos from my test shoot with Anastasia @ Posh. Isn't she amazing? I'll post the whole lookbook when I'm done.

MASHA Z

I keep forgetting to share this campaign I worked on last year (ah yes, the phrase last year makes it seem even older even if this was shot in November not January!). And since I still don't have the time to post an outfit, I thought that this would be a good time finally upload and share it with you guys !

JEWEL STACKS

When it comes to the "more is more" policy in fashion, stacks of necklaces seem to work much better on me than arm parties do. I haven't really developed my collection of statement necklaces and so, I tend to mix and match with whatever I already own (it's a good way to get more mileage out of your purchases by the way!)

One of the easiest piece to mix and match are my necklaces from Tea Label. They're simple.. pretty enough to hang around one's neck alone.. yet just as stunning when combined with other pieces. I played around with Tea Label's pieces from their new collection "Morning Coffee" and here's what I came up with!

CRYSTAL DREAMS

I love sparkles. Let it be diamonds (duh...), glitter, or just some faux gemstones. But more precisely, I like sparkly things when they are used appropriately. I remember when Swarovski encrusted accessories started to take a storm awhile back but I wasn't convinced to get one because I thought that they all looked tacky especially when the gems are poorly designed..
When I found out about Cubic Bling, I fell in love with their Swarovski loaded pieces. From cellphone cases, fashion accessories and even earphone buds.. they were all simple, elegant, and yet still statement making. They were also open to new customization ideas. And that... Is how I came up with the idea of bedazzling my bow flats.

readerREQUEST : FOOD-TOGRAPHY

As most of your know, photography and food are second to fashion when it comes to my 'Interest' list.. That said, I often post my culinary tours both on the blog and my latest favorite social media, Instagram. I am steering away from my usual fashion posts because I do feel that a breath of new topic is a need once every blue days.
No I am not making a food guide for Jakarta (that would be too much work for me to collect the images all over this traffic damned city). Instead, I will be sharing some food photography tips! Part of my new year resolution was to try to cater to YOUR posting wants.. A couple of readers have asked me to do a food photography tutorial and here it is !

before you start, I'd recommend on understanding the terms : aperture, white balance, and shutter speed (google !) also, keep in mind that these tips are pretty basic. Therefore, they can be applied to other photography categories such as fashion portraits, product or even your everyday shots!

MOONLIGHT

As promised, the second part of the Didi Budiardjo photos. This time I slipped in some runway shots too. I didn't shoot much when Debussy's Claire de Lune started playing during the night as I simply wanted to sit back and enjoy the show.

CLAIRE DE LUNE #1

good to be clicking the 'blogger.com' button on my chrome's most visited front page today. Alot has happened this week and it seems that my weekend is looking more like an extra Tuesday and Wednesday (I didn't choose Monday because Mondays are somewhat more daunting). But I ain't going to ramble on that..
Instead, I'll be rambling on Didi Budiardjo's marvelous 'Claire de Lune' (moonlight in French) show for today. After battling the infamous 5pm Jakarta traffic, I arrived at the venue and headed backstage. I was awed by all of the marvelous pieces some still hanging on the racks and some worn by the models. The Javanese tradition inspired collection was dominated with white, black, red and gold colors. In contrast with the traditional aspects, Didi tossed in many futuristic attributes such as the accessories created by renowned Indonesian designer, Rinaldy A Yunardi. These include chained loaded headgears, intricate ear pieces, and last but not least my favorite clear acrylic (or whatever it's made of) coral reef-like masks/hats. I'll have to split this post into two because there were alot pictures..

C I E N N A

One of the perks of my job are the great clients I get to meet and who often turn into great friends in the end. One of them was Nathalie. We got to know each other from one of my other client and I still remember when she told me how her favorite wine was the inspiration behind her brand's name : Little Cienna. I shot this lookbook weeks ago and I'm publishing this on the blog at about the launching time of the collection..

ODE TO SPRING

remember some of the behind the scenes photos I showed you guys here? Well, one of the projects I worked on are now published! Here are some of the photos from ShopAtVelvet's lookbook. Gotta love my model's [Bianca] doe eyes. She was actually sick on the day but she made the effort to push it through the studio session.
Talent by Bianca Rodriguez, Photography by Gregorius Raynata, Makeup & Hair by Vony Tjan, Stylist Asssistant : Christy E, Styling & Directing by yours truly.

COME RAIN OR COME SHINE

last week when I shot these photos for Stitch&Co, I got just about every weather available in tropics. Rain poured, sun shined, blue skies, gray skies, and not to mention the wild wind which gave me headache the next day. Nevertheless, bearing the climate changes was all worth it. I came home with these photos and I'm sharing my favorites for today.

BALENCIAGA UP-CLOSE

Before we go into the show's details, note that I am a forgetful person. very forgetful. This is why I rely on my planner and my digital reminders alot or else others will start yelling at me. Another way for people to make sure that I don't forget is to amaze me. and last year in September, Nicolas Ghesquière did that.

Not only was Balenciaga's Spring/Summer collection jaw dropping (Star Wars inspired hats anyone?), there was one other breaking news that made me remember the show even more; the seat breakdown. I'm not going into details about that. But, despite the fact that guests had to watch the runway in standing mode, the crowd still cheered and applauded for the breath taking show Ghesquière and his team prepped. 

On Thursday night, I got the privilege of seeing some of those covetable Balenciaga pieces up close at the private viewing event. I had expected to see more of the key runway pieces but the small scaled presentation was still pretty sweet. I can't get that two-toned leather jacket of my head now...

D I A N A

I did a little test shoot with my blogger friend, Diana last week. It was a last minute thing and I put together the outfits in about an hour. Despite her sweet face (..and voice), I think Diana pulls off the slight tomboy look flawlessly. Hope you enjoy this little 'editorial' for my friday post. special thanks to Yessi from shopatvelvet.com for lending me out the pretty lace pieces. You can purchase them from here.

THREAD ONE

"Nobody gets to live life backward. Look ahead, that is where your future lies" - Ann Landers

HO HO HO !!!

This was one of my last projects in 2011. There was one preview image that I posted here and these are the rest of the photos. I don't usually photograph kids commercially, but when one of the moms proposed me this Christmas idea, I thought I'd it a shot anyway. Tell you what, these four kiddos aren't super-easy to work as it seems. One cries, the other cries, and all four cries.. Then we tossed those tiny yellow and red balls, and the next thing we found out all four of them were 'fighting' for the balls. Nevertheless, it was a fun filled day at the studio with these munchkins and their moms & nannies.

MINI SANTA

Season's Greetings from Glisters and Blisters ! I know she doesn't look too cheerful but it's her frown that actually makes me love this shot of her. More photos from the session to come during the week :)

DEEP REDS for @SHOPATVELVET

one of my latest styling works for www.shopatvelvet.com. Deep reds and burgundy shades were perfect for the upcoming Christmas holidays! Yes I know the numbers are not in order.. but I prefer putting the looks up in this order instead of following the numbers. Instead of linking the items one by one, I put together a little list via Fashiolista at the end of this post :)

BACKSTAGE at DEBUTANTE

backstage & runway : lasalle college "Debutante" at Jakarta Fashion Week.
designers : Mimi Rue by Jeanette Anadajoo; Identite by Jessica & Winny; jii by Gloria Agatha; Aleksander & Eunike; Coloriot by Jeffika & Shirleen; Nine-12 by Dian Aisyah; Inka Fesca by Inneke & Anthea; Impromptu by Teresia Novellita